Texas retail sales tax collections up

April sales tax collections at retail establishments totaled $868.9 million, up 5.5 percent from $823.3 million during the same period last year. Last month’s tax collections also were up significantly compared with March collections, which totaled $808.6 million.

Total Texas sales tax collections, which include taxes from non-retail establishments, totaled $1,866.4 billion and were up 11.4 percent over last year. The increase was the 13th straight month of year-over-year gains dating back to April 2010.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs will send $403.4 million in sales tax allocations to Texas cities, an increase of 4.7 percent compared with May 2010. Texas counties will also receive sales tax payments of $37.4 million, up 11 percent compared with one year ago.